Aryna Sabalenka vs Anastasia Potapova Prediction & Picks - WTA Australian Open

Prediction published on 1/22/26, 4:04 PM  by Tyler Doty | Modified on 1/26/26 at 11:17 AM in Tennis Picks

Winner of the 2023 and 2024 editions and finalist last year, Aryna Sabalenka has had a relatively smooth start to the Australian Open. The world number one played her best tennis to defeat young French player Sarah Rakotomanga (6-4, 6-1) in the first round, before doing the same in the second round against China's Zhuoxuan Bai (6-3, 6-1). The Belarusian is gaining momentum and feeling better and better physically, having won the Brisbane tournament to start the year. On Friday, Aryna Sabalenka will face her first test against former top 30 player Anastasia Potapova for a place in the round of 16 in Melbourne.

Recently naturalized as an Austrian citizen, Anastasia Potapova has often lacked consistency over the past two years. But the world No. 55 is coming off a match in which she was able to hold her own against the best, and her start to the tournament has been very interesting. After defeating Dutch player Suzan Lamens in the first round (3-6, 7-5, 6-2), the “Austrian” then put in a strong performance in the second round, dominating Britain's Emma Raducanu in two sets (7-6, 6-2). This was an important victory for Anastasia Potapova, who had been looking for a benchmark match for several months and finally got it in Australia. It's the ideal preparation before taking on the best in the world of tennis.